Midrash Quiz

Midrash Aggadah and Midrash Halakhah are rabbinic tools for interpreting the Bible. How much do you know about the origins and methods of these exegetical traditions?

Question 1 of :

Qustion 1. Which of the following are examples of contemporary midrash?

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I See the Promised Land" speech
Passover Haggadahs
"Turn, Turn, Turn," sung by the Byrds, written by Pete Seeger
All of the above

Qustion 2. How did Midrash Tanhuma get its name?

Tanhuma specifically refers to the era in which it was collected
Rabbi Tanhuma was the first character to speak in the collection
The Aramaic word "tanhuma" means "opening"
"Tanhuma" was the original title of the collection

Qustion 3. What is a Midrash Yelamdenu?

A midrash that opens with the words "Teach us, Rabbi"
A midrash that answers a legal question through exegesis of a biblical verse
Primarily a mnemonic device to help one remember an already existing halakhah
All of these

Qustion 4. How did Midrash Tanhuma get its name?

Tanhuma specifically refers to the era in which it was collected
Rabbi Tanhuma was the first character to speak in the collection
The Aramaic word "tanhuma" means "opening"
"Tanhuma" was the original title of the collection

Qustion 5. Which Torah commentator sometimes dismissed the work of another Torah commentator by saying that "he relies too much on aggadah?"

Rashi
Rabbenu Bahai
Kli Yakar
Nahmanides
Tosafot

Qustion 6. What does the word "rabbah" mean?

"great" or "large"
"stern" or "unchanging"
"dictation"
"forefathers"

Qustion 7. In one midrashic story, who of the following is in Rabbi Akiba’s classroom?

Abraham
Moses
Adam
God

Qustion 8. The concept of kal v’homer is common in midrash. It means:

God's presence
If X is true, then Y must also be true
The question at hand is too easy to be worth answering
If X is not true, then Y must be true

Qustion 10. The laws derived from midrash halakhah:

Are specifically commanded in the Bible
Are interpretations from biblical verses
Mimic specific actions carried out by people in the Bible
Include any law that isn’t specifically given in the Torah View Printer Friendly Quiz »Return to Web Version